Bijuu
by Darra Greymist
Summary: AU. In a nightclub called The Seven Deadly Sins, a police officer watches a group of children forced to perform for the guests. How will the police and children work together to give back the lives the children lost? torture, abuse, etc. warning inside
1. Chap 1: The Seven Deadly Sins, Gluttony

**Ok, so this is an AU Naruto fanfic. It is set in some indeterminate country. In this world, chakra manipulation/other stuff shown later is regarded as "witchcraft" and is majorly hated. "Witch-children" are often killed, and all "witches" tend to hide their abilities. There will be at least one, but probably not many, important OC's. Please whatever gods may be watching, let her not turn into a Mary Sue. PLEASE. Some major non-canon changes, such as Itachi is not a homicidal psychopath. I am not Japanese, and do not know Japanese, but I will be throwing in some Japanese words/phrases. If I get them wrong, please tell me. Constructive criticism is welcome, flames will be laughed at and their spelling and grammar corrected. Please enjoy my first-ever fanfic!**

**Disclaimer: I own only my OC's and the characters of those who are out-of-character. I really hope that the Seven Deadly Sins nightclub exists only in my sick and twisted imagination.**

**warning: THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE A HAPPY FIC! It may have a happy ending, may not, but it will almost certainly be rated M. There will be mentions of child abuse, rape, torture, slavery, death, etc., and flashbacks showing some of it. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**

* * *

**

**Bijuu**

* * *

When Umino Iruka first joined the Konoha Police Department, he was twenty-three years old, not long out of college, and a complete idiot. He had thought of everything in terms of car chases, heroic rescues, and hostage situations in which the villains were all incompetent fuckwits and no one ever got hurt. Unsurprisingly, that notion was sandblasted out of his head during the first few days in the Police Academy. However, even with the grueling year of training, even worse rookie year, and four more years of active duty under his belt, he had never even _imagined_ being in a situation like this! He stood outside of a club called "The Seven Deadly Sins," a nightclub so exclusive that you could only enter by the direct recommendation of another patron. And that was only for the _front_ room! Of course, that may have had something to do with the fact that while the goings-on in the front room were legal, though some only barely, what happened in the _back_ room most definitely was _not_- not for adults, and most definitely not for the children that their informant reported were the actual "performers." The informant had managed to procure an invitation to both the club and the back room, and by some freak of luck (or possibly some sleight-of-hand by Iruka's junior partner) their team had been chosen to go. The invitation was for one only, though, which was why Iruka was currently standing and wishing he had not been quite so convincing in his argument with Itachi over who exactly would be the one to go.

* * *

Flashback

* * *

After the assignment briefing, and the anguished cries of "Why them! Why not _us_!" from the teams who had been passed over, and the similarly anguished cries of "Why _us_! Why not _them! Any_ of them!" from both Iruka and some of the less-enthusiastic members of the support team, Chief Sarutobi had smiled, that warm, gentle, "because I'm a sadistic, merciless bastard" smile, and told the assembled cops, "Because that's how it's going to be. Now, Umino-san, Uchiha-san, you two decide who's going in and who is staying on the headset. Have fun!" 

Then, with the speed and grace given by long years of practice, the bastard slipped out of the room before anyone could so much as blink, let alone argue. He was quickly followed by all who didn't want to hear the imminent argument, as those who stayed started to make bets.

"I am going in."

"No, you're not. You are going to stay in the surveillance van, at least two blocks away, at all times."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

After about three minutes of this- uh... captivating... conversation, Iruka finally decided to stop acting like a five-year-old and use reason.

"Itachi, say you do go in. And then say that it turns out these are the people that have your brother. What will you do 1) when you recognize him, and 2) when they recognize you?"

"Probably shoot them."

"Point proved. You're staying behind."

"No."

"Yes."

A smirk: Itachi was much better at being an annoying juvenile than Iruka. After all, he'd had a lot more practice, and he'd had it more recently. "No."

Iruka slammed his head on the table. He had really hoped this would be easier. Then again, when exactly had anything in his life been easy?

"Itachi. I am your senior partner. You have an emotional connection to the case. I'm probably already pushing it by not insisting that we be removed from this case entirely. You are staying in the van. I am going in. End of story. Go get ready." Iruka walked out of the briefing room, not even noticing the people behind him collecting on their bets. He walked towards his desk, once again questioning whether or not he could deal with a case he had no idea why the police, of all people, were handling, as it was clearly at least federal-level, with a rookie partner who had already demonstrated that he couldn't keep a straight head when dealing with the aftermath of his parent's selling his little brother. The day his mother had gone berserk, killing her husband and then herself after writing a confession, Itachi had calmly and coolly walked to the shooting range, and proceeded to blow every single target to very small pieces. One onlooker had remarked that it was lucky there hadn't been a bazooka. The young man had a reputation for being utterly cold and impersonal, almost emotionless, but it seemed as though he had invested in his brother all the emotion and attachment he refused to otherwise show.

Iruka sighed and looked up. Was he doing the right thing? Probably not. Was he doing it anyway? Yes. If he was lucky, it wouldn't blow up, and Itachi might finally at least get some closure. Iruka didn't hold much hope that the boy was still alive. After all, he had only been seven, and he had been gone for three years. The statistics weren't good, and even if the boy was still alive, he had probably been used and abused to the point that even if they found what was left of the boy, it wouldn't be Itachi's little brother. Not anymore. Iruka had been a cop for long enough to stop believing in long-delayed happy endings. Either an ending was quick, or it wasn't happy. Iruka looked at the clock. Time to get ready for the infiltration. He snorted. This sounded like some bad movie! Iruka just hoped Itachi wasn't too angry anymore. He was terrifying when he was angry.

* * *

End Flashback

* * *

"I told you I should have gone. I could actually walk in." 

Itachi wasn't as angry anymore, but he was still a smug, annoying bastard.

"Oh shut up, you-"

Itachi turned the speaker off for a few seconds, smirking. Nothing was quite as much fun as pissing off his senior partner.

Back in front of the club, Iruka took a deep breath, adjusted the tie of his suit, and stepped past the sign announcing "Gluttony Night," up to the black metal and plate-glass front door. He opened one side, rehearsing the procedure he had been taught for getting into the club.

Inside the door, there was a man standing at a podium, much like the ones at fancy restaurants. Iruka silently handed him the invitation for one "Hayate Iruka" to attend the "most delightfully sinful entertainment in Konoha, with unlimited guest access" for as long as he carried the invitation and abided by the club's rules. One of the most important of these rules, of course, being one that Iruka had no intention of following: never to allow anyone "untrustworthy" (translation, "anyone who would rat them out") to discover what went on in the club. The man behind the podium inspected the card, scanning it with a strange ultraviolet scanner to verify its authenticity. Iruka stood and tried not to sweat. Soon, however, the man handed the invitation back, pressed a button under the podium, and waved Iruka through the opening door to the front room of the Seven Deadly Sins.

On first sight, the club seemed exactly as it was pretending to be: an exclusive but law-abiding nightclub with an original gambit. In the front room, there were five long, curving tables filled with delicacies such as lobster, caviar, expensive sushi and sweets and wines. one whole table, in fact, was devoted to various types of alcohol and legal drugs, though some of them barely so. As Iruka sniffed the air, however, he noticed hints of other, most definitely illegal drugs wafting from a curtain at the other side of the room. The front room was not as important as the back: no doubt some, or even many of the patrons of the front room had no idea of the nature of the back room. Iruka moved gracefully through the room towards the curtain, interacting with the other patrons only as necessary, but with all his senses alert for trouble. As he got to the curtain, he patted his pocket to make sure that his invitation was still in place, and also as a prearranged signal.

"We've almost got what we need from this room, just turn back and scan it over for five-ten seconds and we're good to go," came Itachi's now calm, business-like voice.

"Good," Iruka muttered, both to the comment and the placement of the invitation, and turned back towards the front room. He gazed at it for perhaps fifteen seconds, just to be sure, then smiled slightly and turned back to the curtain-covered back room's entrance. Folding back the curtain slightly, Iruka slipped through and let the curtain fall behind him. There was a small amount of blue light, and Iruka used it to follow the very careful instructions on how to get into the back room, and not wind up in one of the four less-friendly places set up so uninitiated front-roomers couldn't wander where they shouldn't be. Iruka turned left, walked for one and a half meters, turned left again, three steps, turned right, put out his right hand, found the slot about a meter above the floor, took out his invitation card, and slid it in. The door opened much as the door to the front room had, revealing... another room. With an identical setup and podium. And someone who could have been the brother of the man from the first room. Iruka shuddered. Creepy.

Iruka gave the reclaimed invitation to the man, who went through the same routine as his possibly-clone. As the door opened, Iruka stepped through, nodding to the man. As the door closed Iruka walked casually a few meters to the right, and simply observed.

The set-up of the back room was somewhat different from that of the front room. All around the edges were small tables, chairs, and couches where people could eat, sit, talk, and get high. In the middle of the room was a large square platform/stage full of smallish round tables. On these tables were a selection of food, such as in the front room, but many of those foods were illegal, such as certain varieties of fish, and some meats were definitely out of season. Most of the tables, however, were filled with illegal liquors and drugs. There was enough evidence here to convict each and every person in the room, and it made Iruka's hands itch.

What he had the hardest time with, however, were the couple dozen children, none of them over about twelve, who slipped around the room quietly, refilling drinks and helping drunk and drugged patrons stay on their feet. Each child wore roughly the same outfit: a short black skirt and shiny black halter top for the gilrs, and black shorts and a black tee-shirt with a diagonal red net slash across the chest from left shoulder to right hip for the boys. Some of the children sat or stood next to favored patrons, feeding them, helping them with their drugs and drinks, and if they were lucky, being fed some by their "companions." Then Iruka's mind ground to a temorary halt as he noticed that each child also had something that looked very like a collar around their neck.

"Ah, a new guest!" came from a man to Iruka's right.

"I hope you are enjoying your evening. Please, come. Join the party. Here, the quail is especially good right now." The man took Iruka by the elbow and led him to the stage and the food there. Iruka took a slight breath, and smiled a somewhat conspiratorial smile.

"Yes, of course. And may I suppose that next month, the king crab will be the best?" Quail was incredibly illegal just then, and king crab, while not currently in season either, would carry the highest penalties the next.

"You understand perfectly, my dear sir," the man said with a laugh. "Oh, how rude of me! I haven't even introduced my self. Your pardon: my name is Pein. I am one of the first members of this establishment." Iruka bowed.

"Pein-san, I am Hatake Iruka. Please, think nothing of it, as I, too, was remiss in my introduction." Pein bowed back, then led Iruka over to one of the tables laden with drugs.

"Hatake-san, please, choose whatever you would like. As it is your first week of membership, as you may have noticed, everything is free. Come, have some!"

"Ah, Pein-san, I wish I could, but unfortunately I must drive myself back tonight. It wouldn't do to jeopardize this fine establishment by risking an encounter with the police! Perhaps I will be able to partake of the astounding selection of diversions you have available at some time in the future."

"One can only hope. Might I enquire as to whether you plan on attending the nights of the other sins this week?"

Iruka somehow managed to sound fervent and excited, rather than horrified and nauseous, as he replied, "I certainly hope so!"

Then came the most awkward and potentially dangerous part of the evening, as Pein offered a small girl as a "companion" for Iruka. The only reason he managed to get through it was Itachi saying instructions in his ear. Iruka still wasn't quite sure why Itachi couldn't have just gotten him out of it entirely, but as he shared his food with the black-haired, lilac-eyed "Hinata," he was glad that at least his cover wasn't blown all to hell.

Sometimes it was nice, having a cold, heartless bastard for a partner.

* * *

**Soooo... is it ok so far? And yes, Pein. And no, Itachi is not a member of the Akatsuki. Haven't decided yet whether there will actually be an Akatsuki organization, or just some of the members. Anyhoo, reviews are nice and so are suggestions for improvement. No idea when I'll be able to update, but I'll aim for soon. **

**Next chapter: we see what happens on the other nights, meet some of the main characters, and Iruka gets spotted... but by whom?**


	2. Chap 2: The Seven Deadly Sins, Envy

**Bijuu**

**Chapter 2: Envy**

**Disclaimer: Uh, if you think this is anything like the actual series, then you really need to read/watch it. I do not own, I will never own, and this is a good thing, because if I did it would probably suck. I cannot draw. If you sue me, I will laugh at you. If you want to take my (hopefully few) OC's or any of my ideas, please tell me first so I can read your stuff. Note: this is un-betaed.**

**Terms Of Use For This Chapter**

**Kage: Shadow **

**Taicho: captain**

* * *

The next night was "Envy." As Pein had explained at one point during the previous evening, the first day of the week, Sunday, six slips of paper, each with a number on it, were put into a hat. Sunday was always "Wrath" night, but the rest were chosen by drawing numbers. The top six performers of that night each chose one of the sins, and then drew a number. That set the order for the next week. The performer who picked a certain sin got an option to come to that night as almost a guest- one of several reasons that motivated them to win. Iruka didn't know exactly what happened on Wrath Night, but halfway through Pein's explanation he realized that the performers that were mentioned would be children and barely managed to keep from choking. Iruka had started his infiltration on Monday, and so hd just missed the last Wrath Night. The order for this week was: Wrath, Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Pride, Sloth, and Greed, starting on Sin- I mean, SUNday. 

On this night, it was a little like an auction. In the front room, people bid and bet on jewels, clothes, sports tickets, and a few services. It was upscale and expensive, but yet again legal. In the back room, most items put up for sale were illegal or almost so, and the non-material goods- trade secrets, insider information, and even certain favors- all were. The more truly horrific items (translated from "most valuable and exciting") would go up later. During a sale of fifty pounds of ivory, Iruka noticed a young girl walking into the room from a door concealed somewhere behind the many hanging curtains. She wore an outfit that was a clear variant of the regular children's "uniform," a halter top with a red strap and bust area, and a black rectangle from the bottom of the sternum down to the loose, flowing black mid-calf length skirt. She had honey-brown hair down to the middle of her biceps, parted on one side, and grey-blue eyes, a combination that should have made her rather striking. Instead, with the ease of long practice so that it had become habit, she faded into the background like a shadow or a ghost, quickly choosing a snack from one of the trays carried by the other children and smiling warmly at the young boy. From his shy, delighted reaction, Iruka gathered that this girl was probably one of the leaders of the children, and older one who protected and helped tham the best she could. She also was almost certainly the child who had earned the right to be a guest at one of the club nights, which meant that she was one of the top six performers at Wrath Night. If Iruka hadn't been carefully trained to spot small abnormalities, he probably never would have noticed her at all.

Just as Iruka got to the end of that train of thought, his partner's voice came over his earphone:

"Iruka, kid in a red-and-black halter heading towards you-"

"Mmmm-hm."

Or, as translated, Anomaly, heading towards you, watch out, Yes, I know. Iruka's lips tilted up in a slight smile. Itachi had good eyes and better instincts. He was surprised, though, that insted of quietly passing by, the perhaps twelve-year-old girl casually sat on the other end of his small couch, less than six inches from him. That was very bold from what he had observed: if he had been a real member and kicked up a fuss at her presumption, life could have gotten very unpleasant for the girl. After a few seconds, apparently to make sure he wouldnt do just that, she spoke, and her soft, quiet words made his insides freeze.

"Hello, Policeman-san."

For a few moments, Iruka was sure his heart had stopped beating. He tensed,but managed to not look around wildly to see if anyone had heard, nor attenpt to bolt. After he had managed to quietly suck in a much-needed breath and get his mind working again, he registered Itachi's vicious swearing in his ear. A random thought flashed quickly across his brain: he hadn't been aware that it was actually possible to DO that with a camel, a haddock, and half a motorcycle. Then again, it probably wasn't. The next words from the girl's mouth relaxed him a little, but not much.

"Calm down, policeman-san. I'm not planning on telling anyone who- or rather, WHAT- you are. Hinata-chan says you were kind to her, which is a mark in your favor, and besides, I think you may be able to help us."

Iruka realized that the girl had been talking in a low, but not furtive, tone, perfect for holding private conversations in a crowded room without seeming suspicious, and that no one had appeared to notice. In his ear, Itachi quit swearing and instesd ordered one of the surveillance team to call Chief Sarutobi and put Iruka's mic and video feed on a screen in the briefing room. He swallowed slightly and replied in a similarly low voice.

"Oh? And why would you think that, may I ask? I could be here merely on pleasure."

The girl laughed lightly. "Policeman-san, you are very good, I'll give you that. You walk, talk, and act as a slightly nervous but already addicted new member. There is no reason for any of those who might wish you harm if they found out your- ah- day job, shall we say, to suspect anything more than a slight unfamiliarity with the world you now find yourself in. To those who watch closely for any hope, however, you show enough of a possibility to check out. You carry no gun, no overt weapons at all, and if you have anything concealed, it is well hidden. You would of course not be carrying any form of true identification, especially not your badge, nor photographs of thse close to you unless those photographs are fake. Your microphone is well hidden: I cannot find it, which leads me to suspect that it is hidden in your mouth. The earphone is similarly well-concealed, but they are easier to figure out, if not outright see. It is in your earring, but it is very cleverly disguised. You also have a small camera in that lovely tie-pin. It can't have much of a broadcast range, so the other members of your group are within a few blocks of the club. One of the buttons on your shirt does not quite match, so I would guess that it is a tracking device, and as redundancy and fallback plans are important, there is probably one somewhere else as well, perhaps under your skin."

At this startlingly accurate tally of his equipment, Iruka grew slightly pale, and Itachi let out his breath in a hiss. This girl, whoever she was, knew far too much for comfort: in this type of sensitive situation, even if she only had the slightest of suspicions it would be too much, and as it was she could, not just conceivably but easily, get them all killed. Iruka knew that this was the time to make a move, and quickly. The actions of the next few minutes could make or break their chances to shut down this club for good.

"Well, then, young lady, I suppose the next question is, what can I do for you?"

The girl relaxed slightly, a tiny smile quickly flashing across her face. Iruka realized that she had been just as on edge as he had, knowing that there was a huge risk here, but also a chance to profit greatly by the help of this person. After all, no reward without risk- but this had been a huge risk for both of them.

"Wrong question, policeman-san. The question is dual: how can you help us, and how can we help you help us. Yes, we, I'm not the only one in on this. Many, most, but unfortunately not all of the children want to get out of here. We'll help you however we can. Now, might I know the name of my prospective rescuer?" Still cautious, just in case, Iruka answered with his cover name.

"Hayate Iruka, miss, hoping very much for a mutually beneficial relationship." It felt a little odd to be talking to this girl as though she was an adult, and an equal, but he knew that no child, put in the situation that this girl had been in, could remain a child for long. It helped that she was obviously intelligent, and more than just smart for her age. She smirked, obviously aware that he was holding back on telling her too much information. Iruka got the feeling that that action actually earned him a fair bit of respect.

"Hayate, hm? An... interesting name. For now, it will do quite well. You may call me Kage." Iruka raised his brows.

"Kage? Similarly interesting." She shrugged.

"It is what I am, after all. You'll find that many of us have two names here- and it's a matter of safety, among other things, to use the public one until and unless you have been given permission otherwise. Even then, it's expected that you'll practice discretion." Iruka nodded, making some vaguely complimentary comment about the idea, his mind racing. How many children were there here? Judging from the behavior and comments of the girl- Kage, he reminded himself- some of them had probably been here for rather a while. What long-lost, little-hope-left cases might be solved? Might they find-

"Iruka! Iruka, wake up! Ask her about Sasuke, Iruka- is he there? Was he ever there? Iruka!" Iruka sighed, patted the camera in a gesture that would let Itachi know he was listening.

"Kage-san, might I ask if there is a boy here, about ten years old, with black hair and eyes? I believe I know where his pet weasel ended up, and I would like to reunite them." Iruka ignored Itachi's indignant splutterings at being called a 'pet weasel' and looked steadily at Kage, noticing the hints of wariness, surprise, and hope that flashed into her eyes, quickly hidden. "His pet has missed him greatly- had to be restrained from doing some rather stupid things to find him. He'd be about ten years old, seven when he- ah- disappeared, and he is all the family that his weasel has left."

"There are many boys here. One of them- may be the owner of the weasel that you claim to know. I'll check. The boy I'm thinking of- he used to have a weasel, but his path here... started even worse than most. I believe that he may think the weasel stayed with his parents." Iruka spent a moment figuring out that statement, and his realization was followed moments later by a sharp intake of breath in his ear. Sasuke, if Uchiha Sasuke it was, either had thought or still thought that his brother had been complicit in selling him to people who were in essence child slavers. That would be at best incredibly awkward, at worst disastrous.

"Perhaps it would be better to wait until after we have come to a mutually satisfying conclusion of our current transaction?" Maybe it would be better to wait until after we've gotten you all out of here to tell this kid that his possibly-brother whom he possibly-hates is here and trying to help?

"It might have been the best course of action if he was someone else, but as it is, I cannot cut a business partner out of the deal. And, would it not be better to have time to come to terms with such an earth-shattering piece of information?" That's not a good idea. I'm going to need his help, and a lot of it. I also need his trust, and that's a surefire way to lose it. This way, he can get used to the idea. It may still go badly, but at least there's a chance.

"Will- will you tell her thank you? Just for trying?" Iruka had never heard so much, well, humanity in Itachi's voice. He actually sounded as though he might be an almost decent person under all the layers of cold emotionlessness and cutting words.

"I'm sure the weasel would be very happy just to know that there is a chance that his owner might be able to see him again." Iruka was stunned momentarily by the look that flashed in Kage's eyes. No one that young should be able to have eyes with that much bitterness and pain.

"I, of all people, understand what a gift even the smallest, simplest hope can be," she said, staring through Iruka to a place and time he couldn't even imagine. "Now, Hayate-san, I have a favor to ask of you. Please, do not come to the club tomorrow night. It will be better for all concerned." Iruka and Itachi made identical sounds of confusion. "It is Lust Night tomorrow. You will understand better after the next portion of the auction. Please, promise me that neither you nor anyone else from your- your company- will come tomorrow. I can video it- I will even get you the official recordings, they will record every inch of the outside of the club to the control room. PLEASE." It was clear that she was desperate.

"Alright. I promise. I just hope that this works." Kage's relief was palpable.

"Thank you, Hayate-san. Thank you all. I must go now. Watch the next part of the auction, but whatever you do, DO NOT WIN ANYTHING." With that last cryptic remark, the girl disappeared silently into the crowd, lost from sight.

* * *

**Okay, here is Chapter Two, finally. Next we see what happens during the night that Iruka does not go to the club, and flashbacks to exactly what happened after she left. Now my fervent hope: please please please don't let Kage turn into a Mary Sue! PLEASE. So tell me if she is, hn? Thanks!**


	3. Chap 3: The Seven Deadly Sins, Lust

**Bijuu**

_Chapter 3: Lust_

* * *

Additional warning for this chapter: Uh, this one's kind of disturbing... Child abuse and rape mentioned but not explicitly described, more like- uh- hinted at? No, more than that. Obliquely stated, maybe. Quite possibly "child pornography" would apply as a warning. If I have not warned appropriately, apologies. I have never written or published anything like this before, and comments and advice are appreciated greatly, though please be kind.

Disclaimer: I'm an American teenage girl. Not a japanese manga-ka. Can YOU see any way that I could own Naruto? See previous disclaimers: I don't!

Oooh, and I got constructive criticism in a review. Happy bounce, happy bounce, happy happy happy bounce... Thanks to Muria, and here is the review and my reply.

* * *

Review

* * *

Wow... I approached with caution, because this looks like it could easily become something too graphic for me, but this has been tasteful for its subject matter. Obviously, I wouldn't be mad at you if it wasn't, because I chose to read it.

Anyway, this setting's chilling. You have some very good descriptions, creating a vivid image of what's going on. If anyone doesn't sympathize with Itachi, Iruka, and the children, they have no heart.

Kage doesn't look like a Sue. I think there's too much of an age difference for her to become one without you noticing. She seems like an interesting OC.

I hope to continue reading this soon!

By the way, are you going to put warnings in chapters if events become significantly more graphic? Like in an author's note, or as a scene divider?

Anyway, it's a very well-written story.

* * *

Reply

* * *

Okay, first of all just let me tell you that when I got this review, I leapt up and ran around shrieking joyously about constructive criticism. Seriously, I would have been doing handsprings if I knew how to do handsprings without killing myself. Also, I hadn't actually thought about what I'd do for more graphic chapters. Considering that I am currently writing one that might fit that category (Lust Night), your review could not have come at a better time. Thank you for reminding me, and I will most certainly be putting in more specific warnings. Since I have no beta, and am not sure if I will be getting one, it is you and people like you who will be keeping me on track and out of the hirribly, soul-destroying lands of such things as Mary-Sueisms. Thank you and enjoy the show!

* * *

Um, and I meant "horribly" in there... don't know where "hirribly" came from.

So, since I have the window up, thanks to my list of reviewers, which shall hopefully grow: Leighbriel-Misokita (my first reviewer), Nara-chan25, Viloia, Boejangles, Kayarin, icegoddess52, and Muria. Thanks also to AoMoriGirl, whom I beta for, who reviewed my drabbles collection, all Naruto-themed, called "Maybe"

**On to the story!**

* * *

The next night, Iruka, Itachi, and a large part of the task force sat in a bar on the other side of town from The Seven Deadly Sins, most of them attempting to get so smashed that they couldn't remember what was going on in the club. Iruka met the eyes of one of his co-workers, Shiranui Genma. Both shuddered, and downed another large gulp of their preferred liver-killing concoction. How, Iruka wondered, could this club have been in operation for over two years, with that... monstrous idea, and no one had noticed or tipped the police off before? The question of why it was not a federal operation was answered, however. Iruka gulped down another mouthful. He had to admit, it was almost a relief that Kage had convinced him to stay away tonight.

* * *

Flashback

* * *

After Kage left, Iruka turned his full attention back to the stage in front of him. A man walked onto the stage, one of the club's ubiquitous staff. He began to speak.

"Friends, members, and honored guests, we now come to the next part of our entertainment tonight. Next, you shall see the pinnacle of our trained performers for the next night, Lust Night, in terms of both beauty and performance level. We even have a special treat: three performers new to this line of work, pure and unspoiled, the finest flower of youth. For the first item, we have a returning favorite: Kei, nine years old, no scars, supremely talented. We ask only that he be returned with no scars or permanent marks." The man went to a podium that had been rolled onto the front corner of the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, bidding starts..."

Iruka hadn't heard the price, nor the beginning of the bidding. Walking onto the stage was a young boy wearing only his collar and a black thong. He went through an obviously familiar routine of turning, bending, stretching, showing the bidders what was on offer. his face was absolutely expressionless, but it was clear that he was nowhere near enjoying or wanting this. Then the auctioneer stepped forward and pulled the strings on the sides of the thong, removing entirely what little protection from the audience's eyes he had had. Iruka then had to keep from wincing or grabbing his head as the outraged shouts of members of his team burst through his earpiece.

The rest of the auction had gone the same. A couple dozen girls and boys ranging from fourteen to seven had been rented out to various members of the club. Iruka had been VERY careful to get a nice long shot of each person who bid and a longer one of those who won. Like many members of the Konoha Police Force he had no mercy on child molesters. Then came the worst part. Three children, two girls and one boy, were herded onstage. Unlike the experienced survivors before them, their terror and bewilderment showed clearly on their faces. These were the "new performers," virgins up for ridiculous sums of money. The bidding was fierce, and at the end of it one man had rented one of the girls, a red-headed ten-year-old called Tayuya, and another man had won both eight-year-old Mikoto and nine-year-old Eiji. It was when Iruka managed to get a close-up on that man's face that the reason for the police department's involvement became clear. It was Orochimaru, the Area Supervisor for their area, and a former member of the Konoha Police Department. If the case had been handled by the feds, there was no way he would not have found out.

To keep from suspicion, Iruka did bid on two different children, but was able to legitimately bow out long before any danger of winning. His cover identity did not have anything near enough money to win. For that matter, neither did he. By the time the auction ended, in the small hours of the morning, Iruka was physically ill and had to hide it. Only once safely out of the club and several blocks away, almost at the surveillance van, could he pull over and vomit into some bushes. Judging by the noises that had been coming over his earphone, the sentiment was shared by every single member of the team.

* * *

End Flashback - That morning

* * *

In the morning, almost afternoon, Iruka reported in at the station. His team, Chief Sarutobi, and some support personnel met in the briefing room, all recordings ready to play on the screen. Their faces were grim and serious, but not hopeless. They had evidence, they had a way af getting more, and even better, they had inside help. Their faces were the faces of bloodhounds with a scent in their nostrils, professional, but also fiercely excited. Well, they were not as droopy as bloodhounds, but the metaphor stands. Sarutobi fired up the projector, volume at half-strength, and motioned or Iruka to begin.

"Alright, folks. Here we have the Seven Deadly Sins nightclub. Please disregard the snarky comments from the surveillance." A chuckle swept through the room. "Now, this entrancce set-up looks simple, but-" pausing the video, "-there are enough protections, such as the UV scanner, sealed doors, and what appears to be a coded signal of taps on an unseen button-" playing the video for a moment to show it more clearly "-that the host inputs before that door will open. This is duplicated in the inner room with an additional layer of security, making unauthorized entry rather difficult. Almost as if they have something to hide. Now, the outer room is technically legal. We will of course be keeping tabs on everyone in this room, especially those with criminal records, but unless we can get proof that they knew or helped with anything that happens in the back room they will be held as innocent partygoers.

"It's the back room that's the kicker. Almost everything that happens there is illegal, immoral, or a very strong combination of both. EVERONE in this room is at the very least guilty of not reporting the illegal activities, and I'd be very much surprised if any of them were only guilty of that. In just a first look," the video had been playing throughout this speech, and now it was only a moment until the actual entry, "we can see no less than five people already suspected of criminal activity, and one or two that only are not in jail or some serious time because no one could ever find enough proof to accuse them - only enough to be damn sure that they're rotten clean through and good at it to boot. The real worm isn't visible at first glance, but remember how some time back, there was an investigation that never went anywhere, that no one could make any headway with, and should have lead to a ring of child slavers and kidnappers? Well, now we can be fairly sure that it actually did.

"Now, the auction is in three parts. There's the 'small-change' part, small change as in 'things that people like us might concievably be able to afford,' and that's mostly stolen goods, illegal imports, and smaller non-material goods. Favors, tips, outright insider trading on a small scale, non-traceable goods with little risk associated with them. The second part is bigger, the more dangerous and illegal the item or favor or information, the better. The buyers are the very wealthy ones, who can provide some security for the items. We've got a list of names, photographic evidence, audio, everything. We've got them all, once we can pick them up without tipping off the whole ring and losing the ones that weren't there tonight or the ones that never go there, just sit back and make the gears turn. When you see the next parts, remember that: we've got them.

"This part," skipping to the last bit of the second-tier auction, "is where the biggest hope we've got comes in. Here. Coming in from beind all the curtains, that little girl. Watch."

The scene played out. Iruka, having lived through it, chose to watch his co-workers instead. Their reactions were echoes of his own. When she picked him out as a cop, and then gave the startlingly accurate list of his resources, they sucked in various surprised, fearful breaths. When it became clear, however, that she could have gotten them all caught and perhaps even killed, and instead had offered to help, had asked for help in return, savage grins broke out across almost every face. Iruka was right. They had the bastards. They had them all.

Then came the carefully worded talk of Sasuke. From careful practice, no one looked at Itachi with anything that could possibly be regarded as pity. Several glances, however, showed their hope, even when all of them had long since learned that hope was no help to the work they had to do. Human beings cannot live without hope, and here, at least, the hope had a chance of proving true.

Then, they moved on to the third part of the auction. Here was where the hardened officers truly showed the humanity that had been suppressed in them by years of lost children, murdered loves and shattered dreams. They were too often faced with the aftermath of such crimes, the broken bodies tossed aside like rags in the dark alleys and hidden corners of their city. The actual acts, however, were always long over, any chance of saving the children lost with their heartbeats. Here, they saw the children alive, unhurt, and hopeless, knowing that they could save them, save at least some of them, by acting quickly. They also knew that to shut down the entire operation, they could not afford to rescue these little ones.

When Orochimaru showed up at the end of the auction, the only person in the whole room that managed to keep his "game face" on was the head interrogator, Morino Ibiki. Cries of astonishment, disbelief, and disgust rang through the room, and even those who had already known of the pale man's perfidity managed to restrain their reactions to angry facial expressions. They knew Orochimaru's record in their ranks, knew that he was one of the best. What truly sickened some of the cops, however, was remembeering how Orochimaru had always loved mindgames, pitting people against each other to make both sides break. While a good interrogation tactic, it had been in part the reason why, when Sarutobi had wanted to retire, his name was stricken from the list of possible replacements. when that had caused his manipulations to turn on the others at the station - subtly, unprovably, but destructively nonetheless - he had quickly been promoted to a "get him away from here" position in the capital. He'd done well there, was now Area Supervisor for the Hi no Kuni area, but apparently his mind had only twisted farther. No one wanted to think about what he would be doing to the two very young children that night. That was what lead to, after the meeting was done, the entire team plus assorted others eventually gathering in their favorite bar. The alcohol could not help them forget, but at least for a while, they could pretend it did, pretend that they were not all thinking of what was going on in the club across town.

* * *

In a dark room, elsewhere

* * *

"I'm scared. This is riding very close to the edge of too good to be true. Orochi finding the one person left, us getting out, being safe, none of us ever thought that it would happen. But, they, and by they I mean he, thinks he's telling the truth. It could be a trap. It could always be a trap. But it's still our only hope."

Finally, one spoke.

"Can we afford to trust them, even a little?"

"Can we afford not to?"

* * *

**Happy happy, chapter three. Well, the chapter isn't happy, but I am. Anyway, I've been going through everything, and I did notice some typos, like once I put gilrs instead of girls or something like that, but I wish to spend my time writing more stuff, not going back and redoing everything. I will probablydo so at some point, but not right now. Ja ne!**


End file.
